Several hundred people in North Carolina, who continue to deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene, will be warmer this Thanksgiving weekend due to the generosity of a small Baptist association in Texas.
Keith Blanton, pastor of Cedar Shores Baptist Church in Morgan and new director of missions for Bosque Baptist Association, and Greg Beard of Grace of Giving left from the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Waco, Nov. 10–12, to deliver heaters to two churches in the mountains of far west North Carolina.
RELATED: For more stories on Hurricane Helene relief efforts, click here.
Beard is a member of Blanton’s church and president of Grace of Giving, a ministry that has delivered needed food and supplies to partners in the Rio Grande Valley since 2004.
When the churches in the association expressed interest in providing support to people affected by Hurricane Helene, Beard had connections in North Carolina who helped identify lack of heating as a serious concern heading into colder weather.
Propane tanks were available in North Carolina in the area the association planned to serve, but the contact noted they did not have access to heaters.
Beard pinpointed a specific type of propane heater that is safe to use indoors and affordable. The association would need to purchase the heaters and hoses to adapt them to the propane tanks for $150 per unit.
The association put out a call for heaters, allowing three to four weeks to collect the contributions before delivery. Blanton set a goal of 30 units for the association, believing it to be a reasonable goal for a small association comprised of small rural churches. With Grace of Giving contributions, they hoped to provide 100 heaters in all.
God had other plans
But the churches responded quickly and generously, providing enough funds for 118 heaters. Grace of Giving collected enough for 104 heaters.
“I know God is in this because every little piece has just fallen into place,” Blanton noted.
Because the initial hoses they purchased didn’t work when they came in, the hoses were exchanged for hoses that were $12 cheaper, reducing the cost per unit to $148. And a donor had offered to close the gap if there was a minimal shortage on the full cost of one unit.
In total, the association collected enough funds to purchase 240 heaters and hoses, the exact maximum number of heaters the trailer could hold. Additionally, the gooseneck of the trailer can fit exactly the number of milk crates needed to hold and transport the individually packaged hoses.
One hundred heaters were delivered to Plumtree Church in Plumtree, North Carolina, where Ryan Bridgeo is pastor. Fifty of these heaters will be shared with a local Baptist church, Roaring Creek Baptist Church.
A total of 140 heaters were to be delivered to Matthew Toney, a deacon at The Ark of Western North Carolina, a nondenominational church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina
But Blanton explained that while packing the trailer they discovered they could fit 10 more heaters. A last-minute donation to fill the trailer came through, bringing the Spruce Pine donation total up to 150 heaters and hoses.
The heaters will be distributed to those in the greatest need in the local tri-county area, including the local Hispanic community, Blanton noted.
To read full story, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Calli Keener and originally published by Baptist Standard.
